


Black Bird

by bug_from_space



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Angst, Fire, Gen, Pre-Canon, Valentine is a terrible father, Young Sebastian, nearly burned alive, purifying fire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-11
Updated: 2017-06-11
Packaged: 2018-11-12 23:32:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11172390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bug_from_space/pseuds/bug_from_space
Summary: A memory of Sebastian's from when he was eight, and Valentine tried to 'purify' him.





	Black Bird

**Author's Note:**

> This is darker than anything I've ever written. I apologize if this is not great. It's cross posted to my tumblr as well.

Some things were best left in the dark corners of someone’s mind. Left untouched and forgotten. Sebastian had learned at a young age how to push memories to the back of his mind, sometimes though, they would creep up on him. 

~~

The room was dark, he hadn’t lit any candles, reading by the light from the moon filtering through the window. The eight year old looked up from his book when he heard footsteps approaching. His father must be here. Quickly marking his page he set the book beside him before standing up; Valentine liked having him behaving properly-respectfully. He watched as his father entered the room, anger radiating from him. He had to wonder what his punishment tonight would be, Valentine wouldn’t be here otherwise, he tended to come two times a week; this was the third time he had come.

He watched as he took a candle, dropping it to the floor. Catching quickly on the wood floorboards, lighting up the ground in front of him. Maybe it was some form of a test? Father always said fire was cleansing, and that he was too dark, maybe it was to see if he could make him lighter? It didn’t stop the fear from creeping into his eyes, watching as the fire worked its way to his feet. It wasn’t worth it to ask for him to stop, or to show fear though, that would just increase his punishment later.

As the first tendrils of fire reached his feet he stepped back a little, trying to protect himself, as the fire grew larger. “Make it stop, please.” he said, tears starting to form on the edges of his eyes. “It burns. I’ll be good, I’ll be good.” he whispered, largely to himself as the fire grew higher, obscuring his view of his father. Covering his mouth with his sleeve he coughed, the smoke starting to fill the small room. Coughing wouldn't help just hurt him more.

~~

Pulling out of the memory Sebastian flinched slightly. Hand drifting towards the burn scars that marked his arms. He wasn’t there any more. Valentine had been captured by the other shadowhunters, he couldn’t hurt him anymore. Still, it was too vivid a memory. One more thing best left alone, another memory growing dust in the back of his mind.


End file.
